Halloween and your dog and cat
People are buying costumes for their dogs for Halloween. And some are making them.
Yes, and cats too.
Some think it can be fun for a person to dress up a dog, (I can’t imagine it being fun to dress up my dog, and definitely not a cat) but what does the dog or cat think about it I wonder.
So, I’ll ask my dog.
No, he is not impressed.
He does not like Halloween and does not think he should have to go out on such a night, and particularly because he hates fireworks. He most certainly does not want to be dressed up.
I mean he really hates fireworks, and is afraid of them too.
His hearing is much more intense than mine and I hate them and can’t image what they sound like to him.
If you must have fireworks, please, keep your dog and your cat inside. Better yet, don’t have fireworks at all.
Imagine if they sounded 10 times louder to you than they do.
How much louder are they to a dog?
And what about a cat?
Well, pitch of sound is measured in hertz
Human range is 20 hertz to 23 KHz (thousands)
Dogs range is 60 Hz to 45 KHz
Cats range is 45 Hz to 64 KHz
How load is that?
64 Hz is approximately the sound of the lowest key on the piano.
The pitch goes up an octave for every doubling of Hz.
Cats can hear sounds around 2 ½ octaves higher than human, and dogs at 45 compared to 23 at almost double. You likely know that they hear the sound of a whistle that we might not hear.
Sound can be also measured in intensity. Cats and dogs can hear and respond to a much lower intensity than a human.
Sound intensity is measured in decibels (dB)
Dogs can hear 5 times more acutely than human, and cats about twice as acutely as dogs.
A whisper is around 30 dB. A dog can hear a whisper from almost 3 times as far away as humans. And cats, well if you whisper about your cat, watch out.
Fireworks are at least 5 times louder to our pets.
Some say our dog hearing is 10 times more sensitive than ours. (Humans that is)
The frequency a dog hears compared to ours is almost twice, and their range of sound is almost four times ours.
Ok, I still think it is all very confusing, as there is a lot of information on dog and cat hearing. I can just tell you where I got some of my information. Check the list of web sites at the bottom. Also check the sites that give some advice as to what to do.
Let’s just say, it is clear that dogs and cats hear sound much louder than we do.
Dogs AND cats. Yes, your cat is also affected by fireworks.
Since we can’t yet stop the sale and use of all fireworks, as some do enjoy them, and if they are controlled they can be quite an effective display, then what we can do is -
Keep your dog and your cat inside on any fireworks night.
(even the black one)
And as I write this October 25, I can already hear fireworks for the usually Halloween October 31.
In UK November 5th, Guy Fawkes days is the usually noisy day as well.
And of course- Fourth of July and the first of July and way too many others.
References
http://www.k9puppydogs.com/html/dog_sense_of_hearing.htm
http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/HearingRange.html
http://pets.thenest.com/loud-noises-affect-cats-9262.html
http://blog.puppyanddogcare.com/whats-the-difference-between-a-dogs-hearing-and-human-hearing/
http://www.petmeds.org/petmeds-spotlight/how-well-do-dogs-hear/#.VE2Tgsk2fIU
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesandconditions/tp/Fireworks-And-Thunder.htm
http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/hyperdog/How-to-Keep-Your-Dog-Safe-and-Calm-During-Fireworks
http://throughadogsear.com/fireworks-what-fireworks/
http://throughadogsear.com/music-to-enjoy/
http://throughadogsear.com/about-us/